Do You Label Your Cribbage Boards?

[DerbyDad03]

I just completed the woodworking part of this cribbage board. The base is made from Padauk, the top is Maple with some nice figuring. It's a surprise for my adult son.

I've seen boards that are labeled with numbers every 5 peg holes plus Start, Finish, etc. Some have just Start, Finish and an S after hole 90, some have no labeling at all.

I don't know if I want to label this one or not. I'm leaning towards buying the dry-rub lettering and letting my son decide - and do it ;-) - after I ship it to him. (Since it's a surprise, I don't know if wants any labels.)

For those that have made Cribbage boards, do you label them?

[Bill]

Maybe you should stop there? I don't think the base will make it easier to use (at all). Maybe build a case, or some other way to hold the pegs, or add a monogram? By the way, I have seen marks at 60 as well as at 90 (60 is a quadruple win and 90 is of course a double win).

Fifteen-two! : ) Bill

[krw]

I haven't made one but I've used my share of them. I think I'd like a score mark, or some such, every five holes but numbers? No need. I know where start and end are, too. Dry-rub lettering on a fine piece of wood is sacrilege. ;-)

[DerbyDad03]

What to do you mean by a "score mark...every five holes"? Score as in "a notch or line cut or scratched into a surface"?

The gap between the sets of 5 pegs holes isn't enough?

[Leon]

How about a picture of what YOU built. ;~)

[DerbyDad03]

[krw]

Sorry, I didn't see the gap between the groupings in the photo. It's clear in the plans, though. Sure, that's enough. The extra hole helps, too. I wouldn't do anything else. I'm sure it will be appreciated.

[DerbyDad03]

Well, if you insist, but for now, it'll have to be 2 different pictures since the finish is still drying.

The base:

The Board:

I added a couple of things to the original plans. I found it a little difficult to get the cards out of the recess, so I added finger notches.

I also added a ~1/16" chamfer to all exposed edges. The plans called for a

1/4" chamfer only on the base and I thought that repeating the chamfer would be a good way to soften all the edges. I like the look.

I still need to add the brass pivoting rod to the base and epoxy in the earth magnets. I gotta tell ya, testing fitting the earth magnets was quite the adventure. I almost had to keep the base and the board on opposite sides of the shop. ;-)

[Unquestionably Confused]

Not sure, but from my take on the picture of the base, it doesn't appear that those finger notches go all the way to the base of the routed out space for the cards. Seems to me that they should be flush (at a minimum) or slightly below the base of the card area to achieve the desired purpose. Maybe an appropriate sized Forstner bit coming in at an angle with the edges rounded would do the trick.

That said, the color combination of the Paduak and Maple will look great. What will you use for the pegs?

My late father was a cribbage player AND a photoengraver. In his trade work they used cherry blocking for the copper plates and, as you might suspect, there was always surplus cherry and copper to be had. He made boards out of cherry, routed and inlaid copper strips every 5 holes, and then inlet for a copper drawer in the board.

His boards were, at best, 5/4 stock so he never provisioned a spot to store the playing cards.

The pegs? 3/16" strips of copper, milled so they were square and then chucked in a drill press and hand turned so the bottom 80% was tapered leaving the top squared off.

Really looked nice as the cherry darkened and the copper took on that patina.

[krw]

Photoshop? ;-)

Very nice! The contrast will be spectacular.

I think the 1/16" chamfer is a good idea.

;-) Make sure you get them in the right direction! ;-)

[Michael]

That's a great looking board!

Mike

[Ed Pawlowski]

I don't know cribbage from cabbage but it looks very nice. The contrasting woods work well.

[hubops]

Nice job. I've often thought of making a crib board and modelling it after my father-in-law's - he got it in Africa, as a merchant marine, in WW 2. The best feature was the brass inserts in each hole - and the straight < not tapered ! > brass pegs - much smoother to play than the sticky tapered pegs. It was a straight up & back layout. John T.

[DerbyDad03]

The notches don't go all the way down. They are just deep enough to grab the edges of the box. There is no need to go all the way down to the bottom of the recess. It's not like a deck of cards weighs 40 pounds. ;-)

If they went all the way down, they would have to be much bigger than the

3/4" semi-circle they are now.

Yeah, I like the color combination too. I originally grabbed a piece of walnut from the hardwood dealer I was at. Then while I was walking over to the maple (on the other side of the store) I passed the rack of Paduak, Purple Heart, etc. The Paduak caught my eye and I put the walnut back.

As nice as the board looks, the chips from drilling and routing are absolutely stunning. ;-)

I'm using the same pegs as shown in the plans. I ordered them from Lee Valley.

3 each of the metal ones shown here:

I made a board for my dad a few years back. I don't think it was much more than 5/4. I made a very thin dovetailed sliding door to cover a card recess. They barely fit and you had to take the cards out to use the peg holes above the storage space. Dangerously thin at the top, but it's held up so far.

Sounds really nice.

[Unquestionably Confused]

[snip]

DOH! What was I thinking? I was thinking that the cards were stored out of the pack, don't ask why. ;)

[DerbyDad03]

There's a number to call at the end of this video. Call them. They are always looking for new players and really seem like the type that would love to teach a newcomer how to play. :-)

[krw]

If it makes you feel any better, you weren't alone. ;-)

[Leon]

Excellent!

We/I like to see the progress pictures. Looking good!

[DerbyDad03]

Well, the board will be shipped with the cards in a box. What my son will do with the box once he opens it is anybody's guess.

I even bought a red deck 'cuz a blue box would clash with the Paduak. ;-)

I was going to line the recesses with some adhesive backed cork that I have, but since I have to go to a crafts store tomorrow for the brass pivot rod, I will see if they have some felt that will look good with the dark wood.

[DerbyDad03]

Thanks. (to all)